Erosion ravages over 30 buildings, renders more than 20,000 people homeless in Anambra Community
The gully erosion destroying Onitsha Inland in Anambra State which began in 2019 has destroyed over thirty buildings, rendering about 20,000 people homeless in the last three years.
To this end, the people of the affected community have called on the State Governor, Charles Soludo to rescue them from the ecological disaster.
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The erosion site at Obeleagu Street and Nkisi-Aroli Street in Onitsha Inland town has caused alarming panic among the inhabitants of the community since 2020 when it became fully blown.
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Already destroyed completely by the menace are two churches, a school, shops and residential buildings with property worth billions of naira.
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Our Correspondent who visited the site gathered that a 3-storey building constructed close to the gully at Nkisi-Aroli Street caved-in three years ago and since then the erosion had kept expanding.
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Following the incursion, more buildings submerged and the affected people left the area with their belongings devastated.
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A septuagenarian and retired Educationist, Onwa Hilary Chukwudobe, who is one of the most threatened victims, said he had suffered untold hardship in the past three years due to the erosion.
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“I thank God that I am surviving, and I thank the government the much they have done, but as you can see the calamity is not over yet, until it is over.
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“With the assistance, not by my power but the goodwill of people around me. I thanked our Monarch, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe and the town union leadership for the patronage we received, the relief items when available.
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“Government has tried by diverting the water channel from the main erosion gully site because in the front of my house it’s a water pool, it has been controlled, but it is yet to be sealed, that is our only concern now,” he said.
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Another resident of the area, Amechi Egbunike urged the state government to rescue them from the gully erosion without further delay.
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“We want proactive measure, not political promises earlier made by the past administrations in the state,” he said.
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The President-General of Onitsha Improvement Union (OIU), Sir Chike Ekweogwu told our Correspondent that the erosion started late 2019 and manifested in 2020.
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“Since then we have approached various arms of government, including Anambra state government to come to our aid”, he stated.
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His words: “Our Monarch, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe has done a lot too by using his influence, at a time the then Minister of State for Environment, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor as well as officials of Anambra state government under the former governor, Dr Willie Obiano visited the site.
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“Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) officials and even former Governor Obiano was here too to look at it. He had some compassion and put up a palliative measure to channel a new gutter into Nkisi River.
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“It locked the other end from Obeleagu Street to Aroli Street, to minimize the continuous erosion in the area. He promised then that for effective use of the channel, Nkisi River would be stilted.
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“However, because the water don’t flow normal anymore, and you know our people with their land speculation attitude, they have encroached on it.
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“People are beginning to re-channel it, and you know that water will always find its course and that is where we are today, even the palliative that was done, it begins to crack because it was not properly cast,” Ekweogwu said.
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He appealed to Governor Soludo to help complete the palliative started by his predecessor and then stilts Nkisi River so that it becomes a free flowing stream.
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The President General also appealed to both the Federal and State government to help and finance the gully erosion close up, adding that the Community would not be able to finance such huge project.
